The Naval Aviation University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently organized low-altitude maneuvering training to improve the cadets' flight combat capability under complex terrain conditions.
The training simulated a real battlefield environment and required the cadets to fly large transport aircrafts at an altitude of between 200 and 400 meters through valleys.
Due to the huge size of the aircraft, the trainees needed to make more careful maneuvers when piloting them to avoid obstacles such as mountains, windmills, and power poles amid volatile air currents, which poses great challenges to flight control ability, adaptability, and psychological resilience of the pilot.
"In the low-altitude maneuvering flight training course, we visually judged the movement trend of the aircraft, and at the same time, we had to avoid obstacles, and also completed maneuvers in terms of speed, altitude and direction. It was a great challenge for us," said Wang Chuang, a cadet.
The navigator cadets needed to make more ground preparations in advance, including studying the conditions for conducting the training, familiarizing themselves with the training area and the flight route, planning the timing of various tactical actions, so as to cooperate with the flight cadets to complete the training.
"In terms of low-altitude courses, the obstacles around the flight route and the safe altitude are the key concerns of us as navigator cadets. Only by thoroughly studying these aspects on the ground can we handle them with ease and ensure safety in the air," said Chen Shuailie, another cadet.
The training has significantly enhanced the flight cadets' precise control ability and battlefield adaptability under complex terrain conditions, as well as their tactical coordination and on-the-spot handling capabilities among the crew, according to an instructor.
"We have a low-altitude course for anti-submarine patrol aircraft, which requires cadets to conduct anti-submarine searches at altitudes of just scores of meters above the sea surface. Therefore, we train our cadets to prepare them for future training and combat," said Liu Yixuan, an instructor.
The PLA Naval Aviation University is the main base for cultivating naval command and engineering and technical talents in China, and also the country's only educational establishment to train pilots for carrier-based fighters.
PLA Naval Aviation University organizes low-altitude maneuvering training
